There are three speeds on Polish highways:
- 147 km per hour in the left lane while the Mercedes driver behind you flashes his lights because you’re driving too slowly
- 68 km per hour in the right lane behind an enormous tourist coach from Greece or a semi truck from Slovakia
- 0 km per hour because there’s a little old man ambling through the crosswalk with a cane in one hand and a cigarette in the other
If you get off the highway in search of ice cream without a destination in mind, you might find yourself stuck behind this guy:
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| My mom snapped this photo from the passenger seat. |
But you might also find views like these:
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| Polish cows, or krowy |
In big cities, you’ll have to share the road with trains, pedestrians, and cyclists.
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| Which lane would you choose? |
Parking on the sidewalk is just fine.
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| Do what you need to do. |
Waze works in Poland, but the navigation narrator has a different voice and doesn’t even try to pronounce street names.
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Charming road signs will tell you when you’re leaving a town, unlike American signs, which give no sense of closure:
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| Farewell, Zakopane. |
Even more charming signs will warn you about horse-drawn carriages:
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| Careful! |
If you see a Karczma by the side of the road, it’s a place that serves traditional Polish food.
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| A “bar” is a restaurant. |
Even the sketchiest roadside convenience stores probably have fresh bread and more meat options than the average American deli:
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| This place had a surprisingly fancy meat counter. |
Gas station convenience stores sell hot dogs and candy, but they’re just a little bit different.
At the end of a long day’s drive, there’s nothing like arriving to a house full of relatives and a home cooked meal.
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| Relatives not pictured; stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog. |